Boudreau: "Would not surprise me" if Perry plays

The Ducks, at this point, more desperate than ever this season, can't afford another loss.

On Wednesday, they hope to have a gain.

Forward Corey Perry (shoulder) skated for about 20 minutes Tuesday and, afterward, Coach Bruce Boudreau sounded optimistic that the Ducks' leading goal scorer and the league's reigning MVP would be available against Detroit.

“He makes remarkable improvement every day," Boudreau said. "I've only known him four months, but it would not surprise me to say that he would be playing (Wednesday). But I don't know yet.”

Perry suffered the injury Saturday in Dallas when he was shoved into the boards by defenseman Stephane Robidas. He missed the Ducks' 3-2 overtime loss Monday in Colorado, snapping a string of 272 consecutive games played.

"It gets better every day," Perry said. "We'll see how it feels (Wednesday). That's about all I can say right now."

The winger has 34 goals and 21 assists. His 55 points are second on the Ducks to TeemuSelanne. Among the team's forwards, Perry's average ice time of 21 minutes, 36 seconds is second only to Ryan Getzlaf.

"It's hard not having him," Getzlaf said. "He's one of our leaders and our leading (goal) scorer. He's a guy who plays a lot. He doesn't miss many games. Hopefully, it's a short-term thing."

The Ducks began Tuesday 12th in the Western Conference with 69 points, nine behind the eighth-place Avalanche. They have 12 games to go, starting at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday against the Red Wings at Honda Center.

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